Sorting machine



April 13, 1937. u. KOLM SORTING MACHINE Filed May 27, 1933 Patented Apr.13, 1937 UNITED STATES SORTING MACHINE Ulrich Kolm, Berlin-Lankwitz,Germany, as-

signor, by mesne assignments, to International Business MachinesCorporation,

New York,

N. Y., a corporation of New York Application May 27, 1933, Serial No.673,143 In Germany November 14, 1932 7 Claims.

This invention relates to card controlled machines in general and moreparticularly to machines adapted to sort record cards such as are usedto control the operation of the well known Hollerith type of tabulatingmachine.

In punching cards to be analyzed in tabulating machines it sometimeshappens that more than one hole is punched in a given column which, ifrun through the tabulating machine, would cause erroneous operationthereof. For instance, in payroll control, data may be punched in acontrol field indicating the group to which the particular card, oremployee belongs. The cards may be punched with the aid of master orpattern cards in a well known duplicating punch, said pattern cardbearing data-indicating perforations appertaining to a particular groupof employees. It may occur that an individual card may be perforatedunder control of a master card of another group thus rendering the carduseless by punching two holes in a group control column on the card.

It is one object of the present invention to provide novel means to sortall cards having a single perforation in any of a plurality of columnsinto one pocket and to sort the cards having plural perforations in oneor more of said columns into another pocket.

For illustrative purposes the invention is shown applied to a sortingmachine of the type disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 1,741,985, issued Dec.31, 1929 to E. A. Ford. Such a sorter, in operation, feeds cardsone-by-one by means of a picker knife Ill, from the bottom of a cardstack II to rollers I2 which, in turn, feed the cards between a seriesof brushes I3 and a contact roller I4 in a well known manner.

The index or value perforations in the well known Hollerith card aredifferentially located from the leading edge of the card. After thisedge of the card passes the brushes I3 it passes between a table I5,forming an armature for a pair of sorting magnets I6, and a series ofguide tongues I1 pressed lightly into contact with said table by theinherent spring tension of the tongues.

.lowered, the tongues I1 to the left of the card moving downwardlytherewith, and the remaining tongues I'Ibeing supported by the card,thus determining the particular pocket to which the card subsequentlywill be guided.

However, it is the purpose of the instant invention to sort the cardsinto two pockets, those cards having a single hole in a column beingsorted into the 12 pocket I8 and those cards having more ,5 than onehole in a column being sorted into the reject pocket I9. This isaccomplished by delaying energization of the sorting magnets I6 untilthe 12th index position on'the card reaches the brushes I3 thusdirecting the single hole cards into the 12th pocket, and by preventingenergization of the sorting magnets I6 when two holes occur in a column,thus passing the card under all of the tongues and into the rejectpocket I9.

Current is supplied to the machine by lines 20 iv and 2|. When a brushI3 encounters a hole in the card for example in the 5 position, acircuit is established as follows: Line 20, an impulse device 22synchronized with the passage of the card past the brushes I3, wire 23,a brush 24 to contact roller I4, brush I3, wire 25, contacts 26, magnet21, wire 28, change over switch 29, magnet 30, switch 3|, wire 32 to theother side of the line 2 I. This energizes magnet 21 closing itscontacts 33 and establishing a holding circuit through a commutator 34,wires 35 and 36, magnet 31, contacts 33, magnet 21, wire 28, change overswitches 29 and 3|, magnet 30, wire 32 to line 2|.

Energization of magnet 30 closes its contacts 38 and sets up a circuitfrom the commutator 34, contacts 38, wire 39, switches 4| and 42,resistance 43 and line 44 to the sorter magnets I6. This circuit is noteffective at this time to energize the sorter magnets since it isshunted across these magnets by a commutator 45, wire 46 and a switch41. The commutator is timed to open the shunt circuit as the 12thposition on the card passes the brushes I3, consequently, if anotherhole has not been encountered, the sorter magnets will be energized atthe 12th position, 4 thus directing the advancing card into the 12pocket I8. However, if, in addition to the 5 hole, another hole, forinstance in the 1 position, is encountered a circuit is established overthe contacts, a wire 48, a magnet 49,'a magnet 45 50 to the line 2|.This energizes the magnet 50 closing its contacts 5| and reestablishingthe shunt across the sorter magnets I6. This prevents energization ofthe sorter magnets at the 12th position under control of the commutator45 which results in the card being directed into the reject pocket I9.

Energization of magnet 49 closes its contacts 52 thus setting upa'holding circuit from the commutator 34, wire 35, contacts 52, magnets49 and 50 to the line 2 I. This circuit maintains the shunt across thesorter magnets l6 until the end of the cycle when the sorting circuitsare opened by the commutator 34.

The machine may be driven by the usual electric motor M which isenergized from the main lines 20-2| through two sets or" contacts 53 and54 adapted to be closed upon energization of their respective relaymagnets 55 and 56. These magnets are energized by depression of a startkey 51 closing contacts 58 and setting upthe following circuit. Fromline 2|, contacts 58, relay 59, magnets 56 and 55 to the line 26'. Thisenergizes the relay 59 closing its contacts 66 setting up a holdingcircuit from the line 2 I, card lever contacts 6| (closed when the firstcard is fed into the machine) full-pocket contacts 62, stop key contacts63, contacts 60, motor relay magnets 56 and 55 to line 26; J j

The machine will stop automatically when the lastwcard has passed thecard lever 64 opening the card lever contacts 6 |,or when one of thecard pockets is fullwhich automatically opens the full pocket contacts62.. The machine may also be stopped at will by operation of the stopkey 65 opening the contacts 63 to deenergize the motor relay magnets 56and 55. 7

Obviously, by throwing the change-over switches 29, 3|, 4| and 42 to thepositions indicatedby dotted lines, and by opening the switch 41 to cutout the shunt commutator 45 and the shunt contacts 5|, the machine maybe made to function. in a normal manner, sorting into all twelve'pocketsand the reject pocket under control of a brush 66 analyzing a singlecard column.

When the machine is set to analyze from a single column, and the brush66 encounters a holein said column a circuit is established from theline 20, impulse emitter 22,-wire 23 brush 24, contact roll I 4, brush66, a conductor 61, switch 4| (now in dotted position) to switch 3|,magnet 3|], switch 29, switch 42 resistance 43, line 44 to the shortermagnets |6 and to the line 2|. This energizes the sorter magnets toselectively guide the card into the appropriate pocket. This circuitalso energizes 'the magnet 30 which closes its contacts 38 thus settingup a holding circuit from the "commutator 34, line 35, contacts 38, line39, switch 4|. Switch 3 I, magnet 36, switches 29 and 42, resistance43,,line 44, s orter magnets l6 to the line 2|. This holding circuit ismaintained until the end of the card cycle when it is opened ,by thecommutator in readiness for the next succeeding card.

While there has been shown and described and pointed out the fundamentalnovel features of the invention as applied to a single modification, itwill be understood that various omissions and substitutions andchangesin the form and details of the device illustrated and in' its operationmay be made by those skilled in the art without departing from thespirit of the invention. It is sort the cards into the several pocketsaccording to the locationof the index points. in the card column,electrical circuits controlled by a perforate index point in any indexposition in any one of a plurality of columns to control'the sortingmeans to sort all cards having a single perforate index point in any oneof said plurality of columns into a certain pocket, and other electricalcircuits conditioned by the first mentioned circuits and controlled by asecond perforate index point in any one of the columns to control thesorting means to sort all cards having plural perforate index points inany one column into a certain other pocket. v

2. In a sorting machine having a plurality of pockets, the combinationof a plurality of sensing means to sense perforations in one or aplurality of columns on a record card in motion, card sorting means,electrical circuits conditioned by the sensing means when sensing asingle column to control the sorting means to sort the cards into all ofthe pockets according to the differential location of the perforation inthe column, an electrical switch to change the control of the sortingmeans from the single sensing means to the plural sensing means, a shuntcircuit to control the sort-.

ing means to sort all cards having a single perforate index point in anyone ofa plurality of columns into a certain pocket, anda second shuntcircuit conditioned by the first perforate index point to control thesorting means to sort the cards having plural perforate points in anyonecolumn into another pocket.

3. In a sorting machine having a plurality of pockets, the combinationof means to sense per-.

forate control points in a plurality of columns on a record card, meansto feed cards past the sensing means, means to select the pocketstoreceive the cards, a magnet to operate the selecting means, circuitscontrolled by the sensing means when said sensing means encounters aperforate point to energize the magnet, means operated by,

the machine to prevent energization of the magnet until a predeterminedtime during the operation of the machine, other circuits controlled bythe sensing means when said sensing means encounters a second perforatepoint in the same column, and means operated by said other circuits toprevent energization of the magnet at delay energization of the sortingmagnets until.

a predetermined timeafter the sensing means encounters said firstperforation, and a circuit controlled by a second perforation to preventenergization of said magnets at said predetermined time.

5. In a sorting machine having a plurality of pockets, the combinationof sensing means to sense a plurality of columns on a' record card,sorting magnets to select the pockets, a circuit controlled by aperforation to effect energization of the sorting magnets, a commutator,acircuit controlled by said commutator to delay energization of themagnets until a predetermined time, and. a circuitcontrolled by .asecond perforation to prevent energization of thesorting magnets at saidpredetermined'time.

6. In a sorting machine having a pluralityof pockets, the combination ofapluralityof sensing means to sense a plurality of columnsin perforatedrecord cards, a sorting'magnet to select the pockets to receive thecards,;a circuit to energize the magnet when the sensing meansencounters a perforation, a commutator, a shunt circuit controlled bythe commutator to prevent energization of the sorting magnet until apredetermined time, and another shunt circuit controlled by a secondperforation in any column to prevent energization of the sorting magnetat said predetermined time.

'7. In a sorting machine having a plurality of pockets, the combinationof a plurality of sensing means to sense a plurality of columns in a 10perforated card, a sorting magnet to select the pockets, electricalcircuits to energize the sorting magnet, a shunt circuit across thesorting magnet to delay energization of the sorting magnet until apredetermined time thereby selecting one of two pockets, and a secondshunt circuit across the sorting magnet to prevent energization of saidmagnet at said predetermined time to select the other of the twopockets.

